*UPDATE* SATURDAY OCT. 20/2012

  Yesterday is beautiful.  Not because it was any more or less perfect than today is, but because it is easier to see the beauty in something that has gone away.  The gifts are easier to spot when they are laced in memory.  In the wake of everything that will happen today, today will eventually be lost to us all.  The past has the power to inspire or cripple.  To nourish or diminish.  Only the best and worst memories will live on inside us, and our choices today only seem important once it is too late to make them.

Nothing makes the heart mourn like regret does.
Nothing speaks more truth than silence does.
Nothing brings more joy than innocence does.
Nothing creates a sense of belonging like home does.
Nothing is more humbling than a child.
Nothing is more perfect than a mistake.
Nothing is needed more than hope.

 Do me a favor.  Live today.  Today is not a day that is meant for sitting in front of the TV, or doing homework, or doing chores.  Today is a day of friendship, love, discovery and joy.  Do something that makes a difference.  Do something you enjoyed as a kid, and rediscover how important it is for you to become that child again.  Hug your partner long enough to remember just what it is that you need them for.  Show your kids something amazing that they will never forget.

Today is rare, and it will never be here again. 

*UPDATE* August 13/2012

  Sigh...Two months since the last post.  I can't honestly say why, its been a pretty two full months since my WSOP Vegas trip.  I've been on quite the good run since then, playing a couple small tournaments and cashing them both, including winning a ticket to a $300 dollar event, which I took second for $8000.  So I've been fortunate enough to pay off my vehicle and debts. 

  And these past two months have also been full of lessons.  I lost a dear friend in Brian Morrison, who truly was one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and a favorite customer of mine.  He had suffered a heart attack inside our poker room, and passed away en route to the hospital. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.


  Brian lived his life under a basic code of loving those he loved fiercely, and treating himself with the same love.  He was very gracious about his life and never took his people for granted.  He would tell me all about having lunch with his father every wednesday, or about his six children.   He would give advice to my life, all which supported the gentle accusation that Im taking life too seriously.  He loved the game, and we spent much time discussing hands and strategy. 

   I guess you could say I took this news a little harder than expected. He was a true friend.  In these past two months, I've done a lot of soul searching.  I am forever having talks with myself regarding "where am I going with my life?"  Brian would chide me for this, so I am striving to live with only one answer for the rest of my life.  "Forward."  This allows me to accept the fact that I need to live slower and love my life more, while giving myself the grace to go at that speed.  That was my promise to him.  And in that, there were gifts.

  I had a heart to heart with myself, and asked myself what Id like to do with my life as far as work is concerned.  My answer? Not work.  True, not very realistic, but honest.  My main goals involve having a wife and raising kids.  Perhaps it's traditional, but it's what I want.  That means I'll need to work.

  I am going to become a teacher. I love how the job would bring new surprises and challenges, and the money is very acceptable.  I also love the lifestyle.  Weekends off, Spring Break and Easter off, Christmas off, and two months in the summer.   It suits both my family desires and free time desires.

 SO!

 I have decided to return to school, and any who really know me knows how big that is.  I cant stand school.  I ace tests, but hate homework.  Cant stand it.  But, this must be done.    I have decided to move home. I love living by myself.  I love the quiet.  I love how I can just come home and relax.  But I do not love entire paychecks going to rent.

  I have decided that Logans Letter is now going to follow my impromptu "forward" regime.  Entries will be much smaller, and more numerous.  This means I wont craft one big Mega entry when I have two spare hours, but I'll write about anything I deem relevant at those moments.

  I have decided to start playing poker parttime.  I have never used tracking software on my phone but I have had one session, and I am pleased to say it went well.

  I will be playing with a few goals.  One, the 2013 WSOP is my time.  I am saving money, and what is left over from school goes to that.  I want 2013 to be the year I really cement myself as a player.   But thats in June.

  However, as fortune goes, the World Series Circuit has added River Rock to it's destinations this year.   River Rock is in Richmond BC.  So, if I can get enough of a solid bankroll, I will hope to compete in the circuit this year.  2012 has been good to me, but every poker winnings I've earned has gone to debts and responsibilities.  Now I can play, and play for my future.  So if I do well enough, I'll be BC bound.

 Very Quick Batman Review:  Awesome as hell, confusing ending.

  Thanks again guys,
                   Logan

*UPDATE* MONDAY APRIL 23/12

                              A NOTE TO MY AUDIENCE:

 Over the past few months, many of you readers have been diligently following my column and it's many topics.  Whether those articles are political reviews or farcical musings, I just want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you.  I have received more viewers on this page than I expected by a long shot. 

 The month of May brings new challenges and opportunities to my life.  I accept them all, and am thrilled to undergo this new phase in my life.  For the past two years, I have committed to working 7 days a week at two jobs.  While I love aspects of both jobs, my term at the Chinook Bowladrome will not be renewed.  My term ends here at the end of April, and I wish to thank all the bowlers there for many fond memories.

  So where to from here?  I have all but forgotten what a social life is, and it will be weird to have some days off again.  I have started this column to rekindle my passion for writing, and it has done just that.
From my early days of writing simple poetry to the book I have had swirling through my mind for the past 10 years, it is safe to say that I belong in the world of words.

  Here is what to expect with the upcoming season: I still plan on writing in this column. Perhaps it will be more check-in based, or maybe I'll feel more apt to write in it frequently, but needless to say, Logan's Letter will still go strong.

  In the meantime, I will have a weekly time reserved for writing.  Apart from this letter, I have three current projects I am working on.
-The "Legacy" series-The book series I have been developing since I was Eleven.
-"Rewind" - A book to follow the Legacy series
-Freelance writing-I write for anyone who wishes to hire me.  Poetry, Formal Writing, Eulogies, Song Lyrics, Reviews, etc.  As with all previous clients, will gladly write for a low price.
*Please Note*  Essays for school purposes will most likely be refused, unless you are giving me a certain percentage of your paycheck when you become successful.


  During this period I will be strictly devoting myself to writing, and I strongly encourage anyone to reach out and not only touch, but actually join in on this adventure.  Certain characters in my stories are characters created through the imagination of others.  If you have an idea, it may be a piece I am looking for.  The mind can both produce wonderful ideas and keep them prisoner.  I will gladly and respectfully discuss any forward progress. Obviously you will be compensated accordingly, especially if the piece of writing takes off.  Also, in "Rewind" I will be touching on a few important pieces of my personal life, in which I will be asking permission from anyone directly involved. 

  Also, apart from the writing, since I now have more free time, I will gladly also free up time for friends, exercise, tennis, poker, street hockey and other wonderful things.  Definitely looking forward to being outside.


  I will leave you with the words to the song  "Maybe" by the Sick Puppies.  I feel this is the perfect song to get your life out of a rut and into the groove.  Hopefully this will get you "Unstuck" as it did for me.  Grab your dreams, people, before they get away.

Maybe I'm a dreamer
Maybe I'm misunderstood
Maybe you're not seeing the side of me you should
Maybe I'm crazy
(Maybe I'm crazy)
Maybe I'm the only one
(Maybe I'm the only one)
Maybe I'm just out of touch
Maybe I've just had enough

Maybe it's time to change
And leave it all behind
I've never been one to walk alone
I've always been scared to try
So why does it feel so wrong
To reach for something more
To wanna live a better life
What am I waiting for?
'Cause nothing stays the same
Maybe it's time to change

Maybe it's hopeless
(Maybe it's hopeless)
Maybe I should just give up
(Maybe I should just give up)
What if I can't trust myself?
What if I just need some help?

Maybe it's time to change
And leave it all behind
I've never been one to walk alone
I've always been scared to try
So why does it feel so wrong
To reach for something more
To wanna live a better life
What am I waiting for?
'Cause nothing stays the same
Maybe it's time to change

And maybe it's time to change
And leave it all behind
I've never been one to walk alone
I've always been scared to try

And maybe it's time to change
And leave it all behind
I've never been one to walk alone
I've always been scared to try
So why does it feel so wrong
To reach for something more
To wanna live a better life
What am I waiting for?
'Cause nothing stays the same
Maybe it's time to change
'Cause nothing stays the same
Maybe it's time to change

*UPDATE* Monday, February 20/2012

Schrodinger's Cat: Obtaining Power Through Choice

  Up until two hours ago, I really had no clue what today's topics would be based on.  The usual routine consists of this during a Sunday Evening/Monday:
-Get up around Midnight after a 5 hour or so nap from working my First Job
-Shower, Eat, Prepare for Work at my Second Job.
-Get to work for 1:30 AM
-Proceed to work.  Or at the very least...Pretend to work.  (In case my boss reads this, I actually did do work..honest...)
-Wage war against my eyelids, which become heavier by the minute.
-Go home when game dies.


Today was a little different.  Having the unexpected day off from Job #1, I got to sleep a little earlier in the afternoon.  I awoke around 11:30 in the evening, and could not return to sleep.  So I got ready, and in the last half our before taking the usual trip to work, I popped in a DVD from the first season of Big Bang Theory. 

 "But Logan, you told me you hated that show."

  Alas, it's true.  While I did find the show somewhat annoying at the beginning, I would like to try and be open-minded in my approach to things.  Therefor, I have given the show until the end of the first season.  While it is humorous at times, and surprisingly witty, it had yet to inspire me.  Here we are, just a couple episodes from the end of the first season, when this scene happens.  (If you haven't seen it, here's the fastest rundown ever.  4 nerds and a hot chick are main show stars.  Main Nerd has crush on Hot Chick, who like most scenarios, keeps falling for bad boys and gets heart broken, while nerd hopelessly tries to get girl.  Throw in other nerds with their own peculiar personalities, and some humor that the viewer doesn't understand due to the use of really big words, and you have a show.)

  In this scene, we finally get to the point where Nerd #1 (Leonard) is on the couch talking to Hot Chick (Penny).
She starts going on with the usual "Where can I find a nice guy...yada yada..."  and Leonard, in a very awkward and cheesy way, asks "what about me".  Sure enough, the two of them begin to go out at the end of the series, which is good in a way, since it opens up room for comedy and it will be nice to finally have Leonard stop pining after Penny.

 In the final episode of the season, which was the episode that I watched at 11:30 this evening, Penny is trying to make a choice between staying friends with Leonard, or risking her friendship and dating him.  She resorts to asking Sheldon for help, and he brings up a theory that I haven't thought of since high school days. 

  Schrodinger's cat is an example of Superposition, which is pretty much useless unless you like to play around with Quantum Theories for fun.  But I digress... Superposition (dumbed down) states that if we cannot see the state of something, it exists in all possible states so long as we do not confirm it.  While this obviously can be argued, it is shown in the crude experiment of "Shrodinger's Cat."  A cat is placed in a box along with a container of hydrocyanic acid.  If an atom of the hydrocyanic acid decays, a device will break the container and thus, sadly, kill the cat.  We cannot tell from the outside of the box whether or not the cat is alive or dead, so we would be forced to open the box in order to see.  Since we cannot know the state of the cat at that moment, the cat is said to be in Superposition of states, existing in both possibilities.   Unless it is observed, there is no outcome. 

  Stupid? Definitely.

  Regardless, this can be tied into useful situations.  How many of us have moments in our lives where we take neutrality and indecision, and allow those moments to remain untouched?  Perhaps there is a cute someone in your biology class and you have yet to say hello.  Or maybe you are deciding whether or not to venture out and get a new job.  Whatever the case, this experiment has got me thinking about just how important it actually is.

  As a human, I believe it is so important to not become a victim of circumstance.  Life is a pitcher who loves to throw curveballs. In my leadership training that I've done in the past few years, I have learned the tools to change crisis into opportunity.  While events occur in my life, it is not these events that shape me, it is how I react that shapes me.  Therefor, I take responsibility for the path I've walked, knowing that I have the ability for walking a proper path in the future.  I can see my choices clearer and I am not bound by the weight that others carry.

  For example, when I was a younger boy, I had a small mole on my shoulder that was changing.  While I'm not familiar with medical terminology, the mole had something called "Melanocytes", and skin cancer often grows in them.  After a surgical procedure to remove the mole, I was informed they did not succeed in getting all of them.  I went back for a second procedure, where they took a large chunk from my shoulder.  I didn't know much about cancer at that time, other than the fact that it has a habit of taking people I care very much about.

 I grew up thinking I was flawed, carrying the disease that would one day kill me.  I was scared to talk about it, like I already had the cancer and it was waiting to surface.  I made choices based on my views of the disease, and for some time feared it.

  I now realize something.  By allowing myself to fear this disease, I have unknowingly given it power.  I have based my life in response to it, and have robbed myself of certain joys because of it (like skipping out on going to the beach because I didn't want to go out in the sun).

  Bottom line, we choose to live the way we do.  Rather than giving power to the things we believe control us, we instead should focus on creating the results we desire. If you yearn for contact with someone you lost it with years ago, reach out. If you are unsure as to whether or not you want to go back to school, ask yourself what it is you really want.  Sitting on the fence serves No Purpose.  By not acting, we are choosing that course of action.  In the Big Bang Theory predicament, Penny must decide what she wants her relationship with Leonard to be. She must choose to look in the box.

  I have been slowly working on my first novel series, and have serious commitment issues with finishing it. I feel that because it represents my own life, I am not ready to finish it.  Yet in it's own way, that too is the same thing.  I am not fulfilling anything by letting the ideas sit on the shelf.  So my choice is to begin seriously writing it.  If it flops due to inexperience, than I shall find the opportunity within that.  I hate looking back and seeing that I haven't achieved anything after all this waiting.

   So, regardless of who you are, look at the situations in your life that need addressing.  The possibilities are all there, and they all await your decision.  One thing is clear, by not choosing, you gain nothing more than you already have.

  Until next week,
                Logan


P.S.   "Logan's Letter" has reached 200 views.  Thank you to everyone who reads loyally, your support is highly appreciated. You can always become a member, or choose to send me a message on my facebook page if you wish.  Thanks again!